The RECLAIM NC Act opens by noting the failure to the federal government to address illegal immigration “places an unwarranted strain on our State’s law enforcement agencies, educational institutions, and social safety nets and undermines our trust in the rule of law.”

House Bill 786 seeks to:

make it a felony to possess, manufacture, or sell false identification documents (The bill stipulates a minor who may use a fake ID to buy alcohol or cigarettes would only be charged with a misdemeanor.)

reject the use of a matricula consular or other similar documents as an acceptable form of identification

require undocumented citizens to obtain a restricted driver’s permit

require anyone who is undocumented and arrested to repay the state for the cost of incarceration

authorize the impoundment and sale of vehicles for driving without a license, a revoked license, or while failing to maintain insurance

And like the DACA licenses that caused an uproar a few weeks back, the restricted driver’s permit would be printed in a vertical format with an identifying number and a distinguishing mark. It would bear the card holder’s thumbprint, which could be “electronically readable by properly equipped law enforcement officers and agencies.”

The 25-page bill also clearly spells out that such an identification card would not be considered a valid form of eligibility for voter registration or public benefits.